Preview of new report says the ‘class ceiling’ needs to be dismantled

Posted on 12 Aug 2025

By Nick Place, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

Shutterstock class ceiling — A new report suggests most business leaders aren't even aware of class marginalisation. Illustration: Shutterstock.

Although not widely recognised, the “class ceiling” is very real, according to new data released by Diversity Council Australia.

Early findings from the council’s Class Inclusion at Work report, which is due to be released in October, show that career opportunities are limited for workers marginalised by their social class.

In a preview of the data, the DCA said only 44 per cent of “class marginalised” workers were offered career development opportunities in the past year, compared with 76 per cent of workers privileged by their social class, or “class privileged”.

Of leaders surveyed, only four per cent said they came from a class marginalised background, while 40 per cent considered themselves class privileged.

The disconnect runs through Australian workplaces. Only 24 per cent of leaders recognised that social class made a difference in Australia, compared with 33 per cent of other workers. Meanwhile, only 22 per cent of class marginalised workers felt valued or respected in their team. For class privileged workers, that figure was a healthier 41 per cent.

The findings are set to be explored in more detail at the Diversity Council Australia’s Anna McPhee Oration, where Governor-General Sam Mostyn will reflect on her first year in office, before an expert panel considers the data so far released from October’s looming report.

Panel member Travis Lovett, former deputy chairperson and commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, said the data reveals unpleasant truths.

“Social class is a colonial design, it was never our creation,” he said. “It wasn’t built for us, it was imposed to divide, exclude, and control. We’ve always known that dignity isn’t tied to wealth, and leadership doesn’t come from titles. It’s measured in how we care for Country, mob, and each other. If employers truly valued that, they'd stop measuring worth by resumes or titles and start listening to the voices that carry community, not just credentials. They’d redesign the workplace to honour lived experience, not just polished presentation.”

“Employers who take the time to understand how class impacts education, career pathways, and even confidence at work can start to dismantle those barriers.”

Travis Lovett, former deputy chairperson and commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission

Lovett said “class ceiling” discrimination needed to be recognised by employers.

“If we are serious about building equitable and inclusive workspaces, we have to talk about class. It’s not always as visible as race, gender or culture, but it shapes opportunity in profound ways. Employers who take the time to understand how class impacts education, career pathways, and even confidence at work can start to dismantle those barriers. When we do this, we don’t just create fairer workplaces, we unlock the full potential of people and send a message that everyone belongs, no matter where they start from.”

The Class inclusion at Work report’s preliminary data backs this up, with class marginalised workers who work in inclusive organisations being more than twice as likely to have participated in career development opportunities.

Diversity Council Australia’s CEO, Catherine Hunter, said the data that is beginning to emerge, and next Friday’s panel discussion, were vital to “begin dismantling the systemic barriers that continue to hold people back.”

“Five years on from DCA’s groundbreaking 2020 Class at Work report, these new findings prove that social class remains one of the most powerful, yet least acknowledged, barriers to inclusion at work,” she said.

The DCA’s Anna McPhee Oration and panel discussion will be held in Melbourne on Friday, August 22, starting at 11.30 am.